ON THE BUTTON: Rock the WSOP

Playing live against pros ain't easy - be prepared before you hit Las Vegas this summer

June 12, 2006

By Nick Lanteri
Bodog Nation Contributing Writer

So you think you're ready to face the pros, the sharks, thousands of donkeys and plunk down some serious cash to play in a World Series of Poker event?

I'm not, but I'm going to do it anyway. I'll be making my WSOP debut on July 18 in Event No. 27, a $1,500 No-Limit Holdem tournament. Last year's event had more than 2,000 players and was won by pro Mark Seif.

After the plans were finalized for the trip to Las Vegas this summer, it was time to do some research. I wanted to map out a strategy and needed to know how many chips you start with and the blinds structure for this two-day marathon. So I stumbled upon this site, which outlines everything you need to know about all 45 WSOP events that will be held from June 26-Aug. 10 at Harrah's Rio Casion and Hotel.

The starting chip count in Event No. 27: 1,500 chips. Ouch, that hurts. I was hoping for a much longer rope to hang myself with.

However, as an online poker player who has branched out in recent years to the live game and made several final tables in Atlantic City (albeit in smaller buy-ins than Event No. 27 at the WSOP), I'm ready for the challenge. I've learned to adjust to the slower-paced live tournament game where you need to be patient and pick your spots, as opposed to the online experience, which is life in the fast lane.

If you're an online poker player also headed to Las Vegas for a WSOP debut in a $1,500 event, you shouldn't be unnerved by the starting chip count. Most online sit-n-go's and multi-table tournaments start you off with 1,500 chips. And here's more good news. The levels for most WSOP events are 60 minutes long and the blinds start at 25-25. The second hour the blinds only jump to 25-50.

Here's a strategy you must remember for the WSOP: patience, position, patience, position, patience, position. That worked for me in January when I nearly survived a field of 1,300-plus players in a $500 buy-in event at the Borgata Winter Poker Open. The starting chip count for that tourney was 3,000 and the blind levels were also an hour long, starting at 25-50. I made it to the sixth hour before busting out with around 200 players left. My pocket jacks ran into pocket kings and I was eliminated. If I double up that hand, I cash and then who knows. And all because I was patient, and also lucky that several hands held up throughout the long day.

It's imperative to remember, especially if you're playing a WSOP event for the first time, that these events are marathons and not sprints. The pros will be looking to double and triple up fast, and that's why most of them will bust early. I will be lurking in the weeds, waiting for the big hand, trying to see cheap flops with pocket pairs, and then gunning it if I am lucky enough to flop a set, or maybe flop a monster in the blinds.

Let's be more specific here. The first hour of this tourney is a 25-25 level. Even if you pay the blinds four times in the first hour and don't play any other hands, you will still have 1,300 chips heading into the second hour of a 25-50 level. So it is not sensible to call pre-flop raises with marginal hands out of position, and definitely not advisable to chase drawing hands while the blinds are so low, unless the price is right. Instead, bide your time and be sure you're ahead if all the money has to go into the pot within the first hour or two.

Some might say I'm not playing to win, but my experience has been that patience pays off. I don't donkey off my chips. Don't be fooled by those edited TV poker tournaments, where it looks like some of these pros are playing every hand. Most often, they are folding cards for an hour or two before they finally wake up with a hand. There's a saying in poker - Holdem is hours of boredom interrupted by moments of sheer terror. Translation: Be patient, wake up with a hand, and push it.

And if I'm not lucky enough to navigate through the massive field at the WSOP and make the final table, I'll still be patient. Why not? There's always next year.

ON THE BUTTON MAILBAG

Last month, Nick Lanteri asked readers for their best bad beat poker story. Here are some of your responses, along with Nick's comments.

NL: Justin, that’s brutal. There’s no worse beat than a one-outer on the river, but better it happens right away than two hours into the tournament when you might have a chance to triple up and be chip leader. For me, the deeper into the tournament it is, the longer a bad beat stays with me. I took a bad beat and missed a final table at the Borgata in Atlantic City last week by two spots after playing for five hours. I still cashed, but the final table is where the big money is at. I was not happy.

NL: Andrew, if you can smile after suffering repeated bad beats over a short period of time, then I commend you. In fact, your letter inspired me to give “That’s poker” a try. Last week I took another brutal river beat (on the bubble) at our highly competitive Friday night game. I thought of your “That’s poker” comment as I got up and shook hands with the few remaining players. I don’t think the “That’s poker” worked too well for me, though, because as I left my friend’s basement I put my fist through his wall near the top of the staircase. Now THAT’S poker, baby!

NL: Kelli, don’t ever call me with pocket aces again when I’m trying to steal the blinds. Thank you.

PHOTO: Michael "The Grinder" Mizrachi is one of the elite poker pros who amateur and semi-pro players will need to be wary of at the WSOP (BodogNation file photo).

Nick Lanteri is a Long Island-based freelance writer whose columns appear monthly in the Bodog Nation. Next month, Nick will preview the WSOP Main Event.